Mexican Mac Bake
Like many of my ideas, this one came to me in a dream. Its tricky to prepare when you cannot lean on the dairy products. This is kind of the best of all worlds – one pot (less clean up), mostly healthy with lots of flavors and textures and is dairy free until served.
Ingredients:
1 lbs macaroni, uncooked
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can cream corn
1 small can of green chilis, drained
1 can of Rotel, drained
2 lbs boneless and skinless chicken cut into bite-sized chunks
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder
2 tsp Tajin spice
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup tamed Jalapeño, rough chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 poblano pepper, chopped rough
Salt (substitute) and pepper to taste
Fresh Cilantro, chopped leaves, and stems for garnish
1 cup each grated cheddar and pepper jack
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350
- In a large mixing bowl combine uncooked macaroni, beans, and corn. green chilis, Rotel, onion and peppers and garlic, cumin, chili powder, and mix well with a spoon.
- Spoon a layer of half the mix into the bottom of a large baking dish or Dutch oven.
- Spice chicken pieces with Tajin spice, salt substitute, and pepper.
- Create a layer of chicken, followed by the rest of the mix
- Add chicken broth. The mixture should be completely covered with chicken broth.
- Cover and place on the middle rack of your preheated oven.
- Baked covered for 45-50 minutes. Remove, uncover, and stir well. Return to oven uncovered for another 25-20 minutes. The macaroni on top should just be getting crispy and brown
- With a large spoon. dish meal into bowls, if desired add a layer of cheese between spoonfuls and then top with fresh cilantro.